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Red Hot Cardinal Fan
Posts: 4122
 
| I'm looking around to switch my dogs to a different dog food, but there are so many options out there with varying reviews. What does everyone feed that is a good quality feed? I have them on ProPlan Sensitive Stomach as my bulldog has had some stomach issues in the past. Which this food helped those specific problems, but now she has terrible gas that she didn't have before. I mean it's bad... Lol. I know this is fairly common with the breed, but she didn't have it this bad before switching so I think the feed is contributing some to it.
Anyone care to share what they feed, or those who are more knowledgable about feeds care to weigh in?
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
   
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I feed A Taste of The Wild and have been super happy with it. My lab had dry skin when she was a puppy until I discovered Taste of the Wild, that was 6 years ago |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| We have had super luck with savor shredded lamb formula from purina Pro Plan. It has hard chunks and soft dehydrated chunks too.
We have a BC that had issues with super sensitive skin, picky eating, and keeping weight on her since she is very active and made on the more athletic side (hard keeper type). She looks glossy, has put weight/fat along her back, and eats really really well now.
With Bully breeds, you may have to buy very specific types. My co-worker feeds cooked chicken to his 3 yo Bulldog to avoid her issues .... they don't buy "dog food" at all. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 582
Location: Wherever They Send Me | I feed my 1 year old "4 Health," she is a pound puppy (Golden Ret mix...we think). I chose the grain free version, because it has more flavors so I can switch when I get to the end of a bag. She isnt picky and pretty much eats anything.
I fed my German Shepherd Annamaet...he was a special dog. As in,.. had HORRIBLE allergies (rye grass, russian thistle, willow trees, a dust mite, a house hold dander and...wait for it..human dander). Annamaet had a beef formula, I tried to steer clear of chicken.
I also gave him dehydrated dog food from Honest Kitchen. I really like the Honest Kitchen and he seemed to also (he was VERY picky)...it is human grade so when the zombies come you can eat it too!! They also have alot of options: grain free, beef, chicken, lamb, vegetarian, etc. |
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 Banjo and Baby
Posts: 7259
Location: South of Canada and North of Mexico | I have fed many of the higher end foods, by far im most impressed with Fromm, Nutri-Source and Soild Gold. Fromm is made in WI and Nutri-Source in MN, neither have ever had recalls. Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | We really like Purina One True Instinct, Beneful, and Nutro Natural Choice. However, our dog had a skin issue that we are able to control through feed. His gas is completely obnoxious, but it doesn't seem to matter what you feed him, its always terrible. An acquaintance of our's had good luck with I think Blue Buffalo (not sure on the brand) but it was a salmon food that worked on her boxer, however it made our dog's gas worse (we have a Boston terrier). So not sure what to tell you! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1117
Location: MI | We also feed Taste of the Wild - our Doberman LOVES it & looks great. I like that it's grain free, very good ingredients, made in USA, etc.
He had bad gas on the salmon version but does great on the waterfowl. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1117
Location: MI | This is a great resource - you can look up each brand & it gives a detailed review & score
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/taste-of-the-wild-dog-food-dry/
Edited by KDS 2016-01-04 6:09 PM
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 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | Life's Abundance for about 10 years now. |
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Expert
Posts: 1280
Location: Texas | 4 Health grain free beef & potato (they have several other flavors). Get it at TSC, great reviews, very reasonably priced. |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas | tracies - 2016-01-04 7:53 PM
4 Health grain free beef & potato (they have several other flavors). Get it at TSC, great reviews, very reasonably priced.
I feed this too! Our Catahoula had skin issues and gas! This solved both issues! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| We feed Dr. Tim's. I don't feed near as much of it. I used to feed iams, I have also fed taste of the wild. I order from chewy.com. It's rated pretty good on dogfoodadvisor. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | IngredientsSalmon, brewer's rice, canola meal, oat meal, animal fat preserved with mixed tocopherols (form of Vitamin E ), fish meal (natural source of glucosamine ), salmon meal, barley, brewer's dried yeast, animal digest, salt, potassium chloride, L Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L ascorbyl 2 polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C ), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B 12 supplement, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D 3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity ), and sodium selenite The above is the ingredients for the Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach...No way will I feed animal digest or animal fats..Excuse me, Myth?July 1, 2013 17Purina says that it is a myth that the pet food ingredient Animal Digest is considered substandard. Here's some facts about this pet food ingredient, then you decide if you agree with Purina. Read More » The FDA FourApril 21, 2011 4FDA testing found four pet food/pet treat ingredients to be associated with pentobarbital in dog food; "Meat and Bone Meal, Beef and Bone Meal, Animal Fat, and Animal Digest". What pet foods/treats use one (or more) of the four risk ingredients? Here's a partial (but very long) list of the pet foods that contain the FDA Four. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Ingredient to Avoid! Animal Digest
October 1st, 2007 by Dan
Since the pet food recalls I’d like to believe we’ve all grown a little more aware of what we’re feeding our beloved pets. In this blog I’d like to call your attention to an ingredient that is so common in many lower quality foods and dog treats. Animal Digest is often included in many commercial treats and bottom of the barrel dog foods. Be prepared to be grossed out when I explain to you what this product really is! According to AAFCO (The term AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials; they provide regulatory guidelines for the manufacturing of pet foods) standards, Animal Digest is
“Animal Digest – material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and un-decomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.”
Yuck!
Another expert has described Animal Digest as “a cooked-down broth which can be made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals.” The animals can be collected from almost any source. There is no control set in place over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying before slaughter), goats, pigs,sheep, horses, rats, euthanized at animal shelters, restaurant and supermarket waste, road kill, etc.
That is about as gross as it gets.
Please read your bags carefully and choose treats with ingredients that you can pronounce and understand. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | lindseylou2290 - 2016-01-04 11:11 AM
We have had super luck with savor shredded lamb formula from purina Pro Plan. It has hard chunks and soft dehydrated chunks too.
We have a BC that had issues with super sensitive skin, picky eating, and keeping weight on her since she is very active and made on the more athletic side (hard keeper type). She looks glossy, has put weight/fat along her back, and eats really really well now.
With Bully breeds, you may have to buy very specific types. My co-worker feeds cooked chicken to his 3 yo Bulldog to avoid her issues .... they don't buy "dog food" at all.
I just switched my Siberian Husky to the shredded chicken and rice from Purina PP. It hasn't been long enough to see the effects, but he sure does like it better than the last food. He tends towards the lean side so I'm hoping it'll give him a little weight. Also have him on the wet PP too. |
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Expert
Posts: 2457
| Chandler's Mom - 2016-01-04 8:51 PM
lindseylou2290 - 2016-01-04 11:11 AM
We have had super luck with savor shredded lamb formula from purina Pro Plan. It has hard chunks and soft dehydrated chunks too.
We have a BC that had issues with super sensitive skin, picky eating, and keeping weight on her since she is very active and made on the more athletic side (hard keeper type). She looks glossy, has put weight/fat along her back, and eats really really well now.
With Bully breeds, you may have to buy very specific types. My co-worker feeds cooked chicken to his 3 yo Bulldog to avoid her issues .... they don't buy "dog food" at all.
I just switched my Siberian Husky to the shredded chicken and rice from Purina PP. It hasn't been long enough to see the effects, but he sure does like it better than the last food. He tends towards the lean side so I'm hoping it'll give him a little weight. Also have him on the wet PP too.
Good luck! I know we had a super positive outcome with our adult female on it. She looks 100% different, for the better.
Interestingly, we picked up a BC pup back in October. I put her on science diet puppy food. She preferentially kept eating the PP over the SD; she would leave the SD in her bowl and pull the bag of PP out of the closet to munch on. I made her eat a whole 50 lb bag of the SD puppy and slowly switched her to the PP over about 3 weeks. If you look up ingredients, the SD puppy food has the same mineral content as the PP savor shredded lamb, the only difference is the total protein and fat amounts - which are higher in the PP. The puppy looks fantastic and is growing really well on it too. She also is super active and we've started her herding/trialing training with no issues thus far that we would attribute to food.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 564
Location: Texas | My dog has had a sensitive stomach since she was a puppy and she is 12 now. Anything with chicken would make her vomit. I switched her to lamb & rice and that's all she's gotten since. I feed Blue Buffalo. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| A local feed store has started selling Victor brand. I looked at the ingredient list, and it seemed like a decent food. My dog likes it, and it's cheaper than anything I've found of similar quality. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I like the members mark exceed (from sams club) either lamb or chicken and rice-my dog vomits on almost everything else! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Out of the things I've tried that are available locally, my dogs have done best on Taste of the Wild. I just tried Diamond's grain free, and had to double what I was feeding because my German shepherd lost weight.
I used to feed what is now Member's Mark Exceed, and had great luck with it. It started as a locally made, locally sourced feed, manufactured by Arkat. A family dispute caused the factory to be sold with the business, brands and recipes to Dad's pet food. First, they quit making horse and fish feed, then they quit sourcing the previous quality ingredients, then stopped distributing locally when they got the Wal mart/Sam's contract, then shut the factory down that has always made that food. That was a huge blow to the local economy. Sorry for the tangent, it just left a really bad taste in my mouth. So to speak. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Skinless chicken breast, brown rice, HealthyCoat and Organix brand dog food to make him chew, otherwise he'll gulp the whole thing down.
He's never looked better, no gas, down 14 lbs (overweight to begin with, hence the diet change) and he doesn't get an upset belly or throw up really ever anymore. He's soooo slick and shiny! |
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 Voice of Reason
Location: NOT at Wal Mart | Earthborn grain free, rates high on the comparison chart and is cheaper than Blue Buffalo, BB rates average and is very expensive. Also BB I believe was sold to a larger company. |
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 Some Kind of Trouble
Posts: 4430
| I feed Diamond Naturals. Not the grain-free, just the natural. Both of my dogs seem to do well on it and don't eat very much of it. The 8 puppies being raised on Diamond Puppy is another story.. going to break me!  |
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Regular
Posts: 90
| The heelers are on Taste of the Wild Smoked Salmon and Nature's Domain - the yellow bag. We mix them in the container so in case we can't get one of them and run out, they can go straight on one kind and not be sick. They have been grain free all their lives and we avoid feeding processing chicken - both food and treats - after all the scares over the last couple years. I don't mind feeding them chicken that I'd eat as well, but not processed. It might be all hype, but they have good health, don't have digestive issues at all and rarely ever have that run you out of a room gas. They also don't like any other brands so far. We get samples held back from the local feed store for the grain-free options and they've never interested. They also never even look at other dogs' food when it's offered, even then the other dog is eating, so I'd say mine are pretty happy. It's certainly not the cheapest option, but it's the one we can all live with. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I sell the heck out of Victor at the feedstore. All of their food is corn, soy, wheat and gluten free and they make some grain free mixes too. Its not all that bad price wise. Depending on what you get 40# runs 30-40$ and they have 1 50# maintenance for $30. Their grain free mixes are 30# for 40-50$ |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | SmokinGirlie - 2016-01-04 10:29 AM
I feed A Taste of The Wild and have been super happy with it. My lab had dry skin when she was a puppy until I discovered Taste of the Wild, that was 6 years ago
I used to feed Blue Buffalo, then read a lot of negative stuff about it. I read tons of good stuff about Taste of the Wild, so switched. It's pricey, but cheaper than BB. My dogs love it and look and act great on it.
One of the dogs used to have BAD gas, and it's virtually gone now that she's on TOTW. I feed the Pacific Stream flavor.
Edited by Gunner11 2016-01-05 2:40 PM
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | KDS - 2016-01-04 6:05 PM We also feed Taste of the Wild - our Doberman LOVES it & looks great. I like that it's grain free, very good ingredients, made in USA, etc.
He had bad gas on the salmon version but does great on the waterfowl.
I never know which one to buy since there are so many flavors? I have a heeler with itchy skin for no apparent reason. Trying to get him on better food! ;) |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | CE's wrapn3 - 2016-01-05 3:30 PM KDS - 2016-01-04 6:05 PM We also feed Taste of the Wild - our Doberman LOVES it & looks great. I like that it's grain free, very good ingredients, made in USA, etc.
He had bad gas on the salmon version but does great on the waterfowl. I never know which one to buy since there are so many flavors? I have a heeler with itchy skin for no apparent reason. Trying to get him on better food! ;)
I don't think it matters, unless your dog is sensitive to an ingredient. I feed different ones all the time. Most dogs can handle abrupt food changes without a problem, and there is research showing it's actually good to switch up. |
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Veteran
Posts: 197
Location: Where God has placed me | I cannot say enough good things about Hill's Science Diet. It is nothing but quality. I have only ever had excellent results. Their research, history and name is unmatched in the market. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | I like to feed my dog Science Diet.. I get him the grain free Salmon diet. It has good proteins, fats & omegas. My dog is 17 & a hard keeper.
I do switch it up every now & then with Purina One Smart Blend/True Instinct. He eats both up pretty good |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | We feed Fromm's. http://frommfamily.com/ My dogs love it and was easy to transition to. I have a chi, a JRT, a schnauzer and a pit/GP mix. Years ago we'd tried Taste of the Wild, my 2 large dogs who got it were never so sick in their lives. I tried through 2 bags. Constant vomiting, extreme diarrhea. Thought one bag was bad, took it back, got another, same result. Just wasn't worth trying to figure the problem out. |
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Holy Fruit Loops!
Posts: 1708
Location: Colorado | southern belle - 2016-01-05 3:49 PM I cannot say enough good things about Hill's Science Diet. It is nothing but quality. I have only ever had excellent results. Their research, history and name is unmatched in the market.
And they are owned by Colgate. Hill's is Not what is was years ago.
karen |
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Holy Fruit Loops!
Posts: 1708
Location: Colorado | Spending the last 25 years working in the Canine, Feline food world. I have a few major requirements for any food company.
1 - Family or individual owner
2 - Made in the USA
3 - Prefer they have their own kibble plant. Small companies can not afford that but they have to pick their kibbler carefully.
Many times the smaller companies work harder to make Good food and pay more attention to where they source their ingredients. They have to worry about reputation. And believe it or not news travels really fast in the dog world. And evan faster in the independant food stores.
I have fed Fromm for the last 18 months. My brother rescued a
poorly bred Golden from the idiot breeder. She was not doing well at his house. Not good pack dynamics for her. SO she came to live with me. Trying to fix some digestive issues she ended up on Fromm Four Star. A 28# bag lasts her 9+ weeks. So the price per serving is not bad.
For those fans of Purina - it has been a European company for decades, I would not feed Science Diet if it was given to me (and they have tried) Blue Buffalo is not worth the price of their fancy commercials. Pedigree has red dye in it. Something that was out lawed in human consumption shortly after WWII. It has been linked to cancer. Most of the food with "moist" pieces have a ton of dye in them. Check your treats as well for dye. It is NOT needed and is only used to make us humans happy.
karen |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | I've been feeding Taste of the Wild for probably 2 years......they LOVE it and look great. It seems to have help some with itchy dry skin that one of my little aussies was dealing with. Coats are beautiful. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1767
Location: California | I have an English bulldog. For a while he got Fromm's, but there was only one store around that carried it and it was a pain to get to with my job. Now he is on Candidae (Salmon) and I haven't had any problems with it either. |
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| I feed Pinnacle (Salmon recipe) to my mini Australian Sheppard. It's a holistic grain free feed. She's been on it since she was a young puppy. She looks and feels great. It is pricey but she's worth it!
Salmon, Salmon Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Tomato Pomace, Pumpkin, Organic Quinoa Seed, Flax Seed, Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Blueberries, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil (Source Of Omega 3), Kelp Meal, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, A-Tocopherol Acetate (Source Of Vitamin E), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source Of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source Of Vitamin B1), Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Pineapple Stem (Source Of Bromelain), Papain, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product. |
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 Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2749
Location: Warsaw,NY | I have a lab and 2 frenchbulldogs, soon to be 3. The lab gets nutro source and Fromm, the one frenchie and the new one wil be fed Fromm Salmon, my middle frenchie is on fresh pet raw with wellness canned lamb and sweet potaote, he can not tolerate any dry food, i have been thru them all. I believe he may have mega esophogus. I feed him by hand sitting up and he does way better. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: So Cal | I feed mostly Canidae, usually switching between grain free flavors but I have also fed the All Life Stages and my dogs have done well on that one also. I always get compliments on my dogs' coats, especially my heeler mix, everyone who pets him says something about how soft he is! My cat eats their cat food, too. :)
I also liked Merrick's grain free foods but now they've been bought by Purina so I'm not too into that idea. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 863
| I'm a HUGE FROMM believer, we have Mastiffs and what a difference since we switched about 6 mos ago to Fromm. We were feeding Pro Plan by Purina, Canidae, and then Diamond naturals, but my dogs had oily skin and diarrea enough, after having to surgically remove a fatty cyst I switched to Fromm and it's made the world of difference in both my Mastiffs |
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Dog Food
